Why INFJs Are Worst-Case Scenario Experts

INFJs are worst-case scenario experts. For our personality type, every situation is viewed through at least ten angles and lenses. Unfortunately, most of these views don’t have happy endings in our eyes. It can be incredibly draining to start doing something as an INFJ, and immediately prepare for a future potential disaster.

Worst-case scenarios and INFJs go hand in hand

Of course, we don’t want for things we do to end badly, that’s not the point. In the past, when I was working extroverted jobs, all of them had one thing in common. Being an INFJ like you, I had to prepare for worst-case scenarios in each job in advance.

It didn’t matter how good that career made me feel, because deep down I was already preparing my mind for a bad ending. Getting fired, sickness, humiliation, argument, you name it – it was all well thought out in advance.

Many think INFJs are always thinking about worst-case scenarios because we’re negative or arrogant. Some even believe we don’t want to be happy and just want to survive. So instead of trying to understand us, many disregard the true reason why we think the way we do about what might happen.

The truth is…

Being prepared is a must for INFJs

There aren’t many feelings more important for INFJs than being mentally prepared for every outcome. We can improvise and even go with the flow, but not being ready for what’s coming is a scary thought.

INFJs are worst-case scenario experts because our experience of the past teaches us to be cautious no matter what. I mentioned a while back in my article on public humiliation that many INFJs went through traumatic moments in our careers and personal lives. This alone taught us to be careful about what we say and do.

This is why we need to be not just prepared, but actually ready at all times if something bad happens. For an HSP, empath INFJ, the very thought of being in an unknown situation we didn’t prepare for is scarier than all the meaningless small talk and loud crowds put together.

However, there is something you can do to give your mind a break, and allow yourself to see things from a brighter perspective.

Where there is bad, there is also good

The next time you catch
yourself saying: “What’s the worst that can happen?” try asking yourself this
instead:

“What’s
the best that I can get out of this situation?”

When you say these words, your INFJ mind will be confused, that I can guarantee. It’s not used to projecting what could actually go right from a certain action. Now I’m not saying INFJs are pessimists, far from it. We are idealists and realists in one body, and it’s an eternal struggle.

Try saying the positive words that I shared here instead of projecting a worst-case scenario. Make it a goal to do it once per week. This way, you will have the time to adapt, and also prepare for the change (see what I did there? ;).

Regardless of the result, continue to prepare for the outcome my INFJ friend, but please give yourself some credit while you’re at it. Almost all changes don’t feel comfortable at first, but I promise this one will bring you peace.

At the very least, you will prove to yourself that you can be ready for whatever is coming, and also meet it with a smile.

For those of you who have been reading my articles for some time now, you know I don’t believe in accidents or coincidences. In my eyes, those don’t exist, and everything happens for a purpose. So why not try to look at things from a perspective of: “What if I succeed?”

Even if it doesn’t work out, you tried and did your best. It’s not about the end result, but that you gave your heart to the cause that counts. And if it doesn’t go as planned, what’s the worst that can happen? I’ll give you the answer for that right now:

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11 Comments

Erin
on March 15, 2019 at 12:38 pm

Excellent article, really appreciated it.

As a teenage INFJ with occasionally extenuating personal circumstances, I am often teased by even my closest friends for my overly cautious nature, and sometimes seen to be somewhat negative (though I am, in fact, an optimist; I just guard my emotions carefully).

It’s good to know that there are people who understand what this is like, and even better to get this advice early on! I hope to be able to use this mindset for the remainder of my education and my personal career.

Well observed Marko.. I always was as a younger person wondering, if I get the success what happens after that? where do I go with it, this always prevented me when I was younger from actually moving forward…
I realise now that this is a self defeating concept that made me go around things but never really become too involved with what was actually going on, I understand now if I was more inclined to take on & tackle something & give it my all that even if it didn’t work out, I can’t say I didn’t try…
Even in failure lessons are learnt, in my experience..

Comment
I prepped buying survival supplies with the ‘looming’ disasters for years held at my home, car and desk at work. Well I retired, sold my house and moved twice in 2 years. I downsized my household goods 70% but still holding on to all my disaster supplies just in case. I am now on round three downsizing. Is it worth it to rent a storage unit, probably not but I feel in peril thinking about giving up most of these supplies.

Thank you for your dedication to our cause and the spot on articles Marko!

“We are idealists and realists in one body, and it’s an eternal struggle.”
I resonate with this so much. I think this is my biggest controversy. The idealist allows me to drown in the positive, but the realist forces me to confront the negative.

Either way, yeah, as an INFJ, this makes sense. If it’s easier to go down then to go up, then rock bottom is always an option to prepare for, while promotion is harder to grasp because we don’t know what that looks like or how long we’ll stay there.

I’ve been pushing myself to avoid that mindset, however. Majorly because this mindset brings with it fear and a lack of peace that I do not want. But partially because I have goals I want to meet.

I actually misread the second question as “What’s the best that I can do to get out of this situation?” haha